Pet medicine goes Oriental



Yomiuri Shimbun

An increasing number of pet owners are having their pets treated
with cautery, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine and other
forms of Oriental medical treatment, which is said to be more
effective than Western methods in treating stress and chronic
ailments.

Masako Ito, 72, of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, visits an animal
hospital with Ron, her 12-year-old male Shih Tzu, every week. Ron
receives acupuncture at its pelvic girdle for about 2,000 yen each
session. Ito said the acupuncture, conducted with a needle, was
painless.

"After the treatment I can tell he is more relaxed," Ito said.

Takashi Ishino, director of the Kamakura Genki Dobutsu Byoin animal
hospital, treats his patients with both Western and Oriental
medicine, including acupuncture, cautery, traditional Chinese
medicine and "suina," which is similar to massage.

"For example, the combination of acupuncture and cautery lessens the
adverse effects of antitumor drugs, like the loss of white blood
cells. It also eases pain and helps patients gain strength," Ishino
said.

Shigekatsu Motoyoshi, chairman of the Japanese Society of Pet Animal
Nutrition and honorary professor of Nippon Veterinary and Animal
Science University, said an increasing number of veterinarian have
introduced Oriental medical treatment.

"Acupuncture treatment on animals was introduced to this country in
the sixth century from the Korean Peninsula. Though Japan's
veterinary science has relied on Western medicine since the Meiji
era (1868-1912), things have drastically changed over the past few
years," Motoyoshi said.

A society of veterinarians who study Oriental medicine, based in
Tokyo, has 342 members, up from 138 in 1993, when it was
established.

Also, an increasing number of books introducing methods of massage
and acupressure for pets have been published.

Ishino has published two books, one for dogs, through Gentosha Inc.
and the other for cats, through Interwork Publishers. Magazineland
Co. published a magazine on massage for rabbits last month.

Growing numbers of aging pets have spurred an increasing demand for
Oriental methods in veterinary medicine. Aging makes symptoms of
various diseases complex and chronic, and conventional medication is
unlikely to effect a complete cure.

"In recent years, we have seen an increasing number of pets
suffering from diseases caused by stress, which is difficult to cure
with Western medicine," said Noriko Shimizu, a veterinarian from
Kodaira, western Tokyo.
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Pet owners also are attracted by the notion of being able to treat
pets using Oriental methods by themselves.

"Usually, the only thing that pet owners can do when their pet falls
ill is to give them drugs. However, in Oriental medicine, they can
administer acupressure and massage to their pets on their own," said
Makoto Washizu, assistant professor of Nippon Veterinary and Animal
Science University's veterinary medical center.

However, not every disease can be cured with Oriental medicine.

"At my hospital, 90 percent of the treatment is carried out using
Western methods. We decide on the treatment methods after we make
sure which kind of treatment, Oriental or Western, is appropriate
for each patient," Ishino said.

Pet doctors advise that owners educate themselves on the limitations
and benefits of Oriental medicine for their pets.